The
Snerfs, though rarely seen on The Muppet Show are actually a classic
type of Muppet creature that had often been featured in sketches
of the Ed Sullivan type variety, as a type of Frackle in "The
Great Santa Claus Switch" and even in some early episodes
of "Sesame Street" Their most notable characteristic
is the ability to extend their bodies into a long pole or contract
into a small roundish creature. The horns-as noses were added
for this appearance. When toy puppets of Rowlf and Kermit were
manufactured in the '60's, the ads indicated that a Snerf
puppet existed also.)

Both
opening acts demonstrate the black background style of puppetry
often used by the Muppets where the characters are manipulated
by the puppeteers behind them dressed all in black and rendered
practically invisible due to the black sets and effective lighting,
making the characters appear to move about on their own. The Gawky
Birds are among some of the largest puppets in the Henson arsenal
(a related type of creature known as The Bossmen, being the largest).

Both
the Snerfs and the Gawky Birds were planned to be performed live
in a Muppets on Broadway idea Jim Henson had wanted to explore.
He finally gets to use both ideas on screen here. Twenty-five
years later, his idea finally hits the live stage as the Bossmen,
huge characters similar to the Gawky Birds join the grand finale
of MuppetFest's Muppet
Show Live.

This
is an important step in the evolution of Miss Piggy's ascent to
superstardom. Even though Miss Piggy has insisted on her being
the show's resident female singer, up until now she's mostly just
been in the chorus (with the notable exception being her taking
the solo from the ranks of the chorus in the first episode).

Her
duet with Bruce is the first time she's featured prominently in
a serious number (aside from last episode's
UK sketch) and she holds her own, even managing to upstage
Bruce with her big finish. Two episodes from now, she'll finally
get her first solo number (though it's through her forceful insistence).

Brian Henson: "Hi,
I'm Brian Henson. Let me tell you a little bit about how we train to perform
the Muppets. It's kind of an interesting process, because what we do is, we
watch a monitor. It shows us what the camera is seeing and we reach up and we
work the puppet with our other hand. It's a complicated process but the idea
is, that you're meant to look into the monitor and bring to life that character
and be the audience and the audience's point of view."

"Course it's
real difficult, because when the character turns to the right, but the camera
you see, is turning to the left which means you always have to think backwards.
Of course it's the Muppets so thinking backwards comes naturally. Here's The
Muppet Show."

OPENING
THEME

Fozzie's
Joke: "Hey, question: if a man born in Poland is a Pol,
is a man born in Holland a Hole? Think about it."

Gonzo's
Mallet: Gonzo hits the "O" and puts a hole in it.

CURTAIN

Kermit
admits to sounding a little British due to the fact that Bruce
Forsythe is the guest and takes time to cringe at the name of
the Snerfs.

OPENING
NUMBER - "IN A LITTLE SPANISH TOWN"

A
group of long blue fuzzy creatures with horns for noses that can
contract and expand vertically play a tune while dancing...one
of the Snerfs isn't quite up to par with the others, trying not
to get stepped on by the others and often finding himself out
of step.

BALCONY

Waldorf:
Well now I've seen everything.

Statler:
Good, can we leave?

BACKSTAGE

A
squeaky voiced duck rehearses her big punch line for later in
the show while Fozzie assures Kermit that he's ready to face Statler
and Waldorf tonight. However, when he demonstrates his razor-sharp
wit for Kermit, his comeback is more sappy then snappy.

CURTAIN

Kermit
encourages a warm "Muppet Show welcome" to Bruce Forsythe.

MUSICAL
NUMBER - "ALL I NEED NOW IS THE GIRL"

Bruce attempts
an elegant song-and-dance amid a stylish and minimalistic set but is
soon interrupted by the presence of an enormous (twice his size when
extended) Gawky Bird. He tries to escort it out of the way but the Bird
proves herself to be a fair (if somewhat libidinous) dance partner.
By the end of the number as he's being chased by the Gawky Bird and
her sister, he screams for Mr. Hitchcock!

BALCONY

Waldorf:
Bravo!

Statler:
Brilliant!

Waldorf:
There aren't too many performers who can hold a candle to Bruce
Forsythe. Statler: Of course not - they'd burn him.

Waldorf:
Statler, you must be the old fool there's no fool like.

BACKSTAGE

Fozzie
assures Kermit he's worked more on his comebacks and has Kermit heckle
him again.

Fozzie:
My cousin's so dumb, he thinks eggs benedict is a Mafia gangster!

Kermit:
I'VE SEEN CHEESEBURGERS FUNNIER THAN THAT!

Fozzie's
response? Hit Kermit with a rubber chicken!! (How he expected to
reach Statler & Waldorf with such a technique is unknown).

AT
THE DANCE

A
running gag occurs of the following variety:

MILDRED:
Do you like duckling?

GEORGE:
I don't know, I never duckled.

UK SPOT:
MUSICAL NUMBER - "I'M MY OWN GRANDPA"

The
Gogolala Jubilee Jug-Band perform a classic novelty song about
the joys of inbred family trees. The lead vocals of Pa are voiced
by Peter Friedman. Jim Henson performed the puppet of Pa for this
UK sketch. [This song was included on 1984's Silly
Songs, Muppet
Hits Take Two from 1994, and the video Children's
Songs and Stories.]

TALK
SPOT

A
pun on Bruce's being able to buy a talking frog and a chicken
sharing his dressing room leads to a complex barter of barnyard
animals between Kermit and Bruce. Bruce's jokes on the exchange
rate of pigs prompts some karate protestations from Miss Piggy.

BALCONY

Waldorf:
That Miss Piggy takes umbrage at the slightest annoyance.

Statler:
I usually take aspirin. Maybe I'll try some umbrage.

BACKSTAGE

Fozzie
receives the good news that Statler and Waldorf will not heckle him
tonight. The bad news being that the reason for the lack of harassment
is due to Fozzie's act being cut because of time constraints.

Fozzie
tries to persuade Kermit that the audience expects a comic, but
Kermit replies that they have that tonight in Bruce Forsythe.

CURTAIN

Kermit:
"Tonight we thought we'd give Fozzie Bear a rest."

Statler:
"You're not giving him a rest - you're giving US a rest."

COMEDY
SPOT

Bruce
Forsythe does stand up comedy on the Fozzie Bear set. Statler
attempts to heckle him but is aptly buried by Bruce's sharp comebacks.
Fozzie wanders on stage in awe and Bruce gives him pointers on
how he too can handle the geezers. Fozzie successfully gets Statler
and Waldorf to admit the defeat and smoothly cues Bruce's and
Fozzie's musical number "Side By Side".

VETERINARIAN'S
HOSPITAL

Dr.
Bob confuses his mallard patient for a chicken, prompting loud
protests of "DUCK!" causing Bob and the Nurses to duck
down. The duck receives ample applause at the end of the sketch
justifying her earlier practice.

CLOSING
NUMBER - "LET THERE BE LOVE"

Backed
by a pig chorus, Bruce and Miss Piggy sing a tender duet as Bruce
plays piano. Bruce is sure to note that he "doesn't want
that big one back" when Piggy gets to the "Let there
be birds" verse.

Fan site Muppet Central created by Phillip Chapman. Updates by Muppet
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of The Muppets Studio. Sesame Street characters are copyright of Sesame
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